Even if the amount of dollars off may not look significant, they typically perform better than percents. Discounts of less than $10 still have 17 percent
higher engagement rates than equivalent percent off promotions.

3. "Don't" beats "do"

In the age of content marketing, your customers and prospects are bombarded by headlines. What can make yours stand out?

The word "don't" can help, according to a 2012 Outbrain report. Headlines that use "don't" earn a 15
percent higher click-through rate than titles without the word.

"Don't" works better, probably because it highlights what your audience doesn't know or should avoid doing.

4. Use first/second person vs. third person

Once you attract someone to your website, you want to keep them there.

A great way to do so is with a conversational tone. Using "you" and "I" gives your copy the impression that you're engaged in conversation.

Note:
Using second person in headlines is controversial. Outbrain reported that headlines with "you" and "your" performed 24 percent worse than those without
those words. However, many editors will throw out a headline that doesn't use second person.

5. Add "it's free!" to "sign up now"

Yes, "it's free" is two words, but the key addition here is "free." So, how did it do?

In one case, adding "It's free" to the "Sign up now!" button resulted in a
28 percent increase in conversions. The original button didn't contain free and had a conversion rate of 14.5 percent. The button with "free" converted at a rate of 18.6 percent.

The hypothesis of why "It's free" performed so well is that the phrase reinforces a low-risk proposition.

Bonus: Red vs. green

Color can also play a big role in the performance of a call to action. Companies have increased conversions by between 21 and 34 percent by changing a button's color from green to red.

Is red the universal go-to color? Probably not. Experiment to find what works for you.